Greenpeace deems Indian gadget giant the cleanest tech company in the world

Wipro, an Indian electronics manufacturer, bested Apple, Nokia, HP and Samsung to take the crown of greenest gadget maker in the world, according to a new study from Greenpeace International.

In its 18th “Guide to Greener Electronics,” the environmental group evaluated electronics companies on a variety of metrics, including cleanliness of supply chains, greenhouse gas emissions, recycling and advocacy for greener public policies. Wipro had held top spots in the international edition of the report, but Greenpeace has now decided to rank all electronic companies together.

Casey Harrell, the report’s author, notes that while there are a lot of areas his organization would like to see improved, tech companies are getting better about being environmentally conscious. Companies call him and try to get a leg up on one another as the next edition of the report comes out.

“The amount of engagement is encouraging,” he says. “We’ve stuck with this.”

Greenpeace asks these companies to use their clout to push for increased use of renewable energy across their industry and more awareness around the concept of “embedded energy” for devices. The idea is to recognize all the resources that went into getting that TV or smartphone into your hands, from the minerals mined to the assembly plant to the burned fossil fuels in shipping. Greenpeace wants heavyweights like HP and Apple to use their sway to hold their suppliers accountable.

Harrell notes that HP, Nokia and Acer all have “modest” targets for their suppliers, and while he commends Apple for putting its environmental figures right on its website, he notes that there was a considerable jump in impact from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5.

“It’s not just having a user manual printed on recycled paper,” Harrell says.

Of concern is also whether consumers actually care about the environmental impact of their gadgets. It’s easy to say you’re a “friend of the environment,” but how many consumers’ buying decisions — iPhone, Galaxy or Droid? — are actually effected by the manufacturer’s friendliness to Mother Nature?

It’s a tough figure to pin down. A 2010 poll from gadget site Retrevo did show that about 60 percent of consumers don’t care about the environmental impact of their purchase. Websites like Greener Gadgets are trying to educate buyers on how to shop in a more environmentally friendly way.

The picture predictably shifts when self-interest — in the form of lower power bills — is involved. A 2008 poll from CEA showed that 89 percent of consumers said energy efficiency would be a factor in choosing their next television.